LightScribe? at DVinfo.net

Deniz Turkmen · April 24th, 2005, 12:48 PM

What's the deal with LightScribe? Is anybody using it? I'm not happy with the quality of inkjet printing and have been considering picking up a Lacie dual layer burner w/ lightScribe.

Aanarav Sareen · April 24th, 2005, 04:47 PM

From what I have seen LightScribe can only do mono prinitng and the quality is not better than any decent inkjet printer.

Pete Bauer · April 24th, 2005, 08:19 PM

Just a personal opinion:

I'm getting the impression that it isn't really ready for prime time, and have lost interest for now. The initial enthusiastic reports were that it was going to be ubiquitous, not more than pennies per disc more expensive than existing stock, and no mention was made as to the quality of the printing.

What I'm currently observing is that LightScribe CD-Rs are several TIMES more expensive than regular CD-Rs and hard to find, DVD-Rs are either rare or nonexistent, it only does monochrome printing, there are concerns about sunlight or heat ruining your nice graphics (more so than regular home-written discs, apparently), and though drives with the technology exist (outside of HP's online store), they are not exactly filling up retail store shelves.

Maybe if the technology survives to have a second or third generation, it'll be The Next Great Thing. I tend to lean towards being an "early adopter" but I'm not ready to bother with this technology quite yet; feels too much like half a solution.

Peter Jefferson · April 25th, 2005, 08:33 AM

go and get urself a Yamaha F1 burner for cd's and u can actually burn 300dpi onto the disc burn surface itself..

if u dont like teh quality of print, maybe its ur choice in media..
Rytek, or Ridata for DVD offer plastic smooth disc surface and is awesome. I use a canon i865 printer and i cannot fault the results when using high dpi images.

for cd's i use printable verbatims which have a strange holographic edge... these are a glossy matte finish

Pete Bauer · April 25th, 2005, 10:10 AM

I dunno, maybe this article is too old, but this DiscT@2 doesn't look like anything I'd buy:

http://www.cdfreaks.com/article/88/4

CD-R only, uses the data surface, disc must be closed, visibility depends on the type of dye the disc uses. A long way from being a comprehensive, convenient DVD-labeling solution.

For now, I'm just sticking with Sharpie markers....

Deniz Turkmen · April 25th, 2005, 11:37 AM

It's so much the quality of the image with inkjet DVD. I've been having a problem with smearing. Even after letting the disk dry for three days, some of the ink, especially black, will smear if I press down hard enough and rub with my finger. I've tried multiple brands, including Verbatim, Rydata, and Prodisc, but the ink smears on all of them. Epson keeps saying it's the media, not the printer, but there is only so much money I can spend on testing discs.

Dan Euritt · April 25th, 2005, 03:35 PM

have you tried maxell or taiyo yuden dvd-r's? they work great on my epson printer.

Mike Teutsch · April 30th, 2005, 04:06 PM

I use Prodisc with my Epson R200. I paid $78.00 for the Epson brand new at B.J.s warehouse with ink, and Prodisc at 35 cents each. Never a problem. Your problem does not sound like it is the disc unless you are printing out side the white area. Good Luck!

Mike

Deniz Turkmen · April 30th, 2005, 04:16 PM

I don't think the problem is with the disc either. I think it's with the printer itself, although Epson doesn't want to admit it. It's putting too much ink on the DVD, and I can't set the quality to anything other than best photo. I talked to a friend who used the R200 and he said he can lower the quality on his PC. I'm using an Apple. Epson said there's nothing I can do about it.

Theo Mason · April 30th, 2005, 05:54 PM

I have been using a BenQ 1625 LightScribe burner for a few days now. The images are nice, although I am anticipating the new Photo Quality DVD blanks to be a better solution.

The label burning time under "ideal" circumstances is 20 to 30 minutes. One plus is popping the DVD into the drive for LightScribe labeling is much quicker and easier than setting up my Epson 900 for a DVD print.

Ted

Dan Euritt · April 30th, 2005, 09:27 PM

my epson 900 printer had a clogged black inkjet head that was leaking ink and making a mess... i tore it down, took the head out of it, and swabbed the bottom of the head off with alcohol in a cotton ball... it's been working great, no more splatters of ink... i wonder if your situation is sorta similar? is the printer old?

Deniz Turkmen · May 1st, 2005, 12:13 AM

No, I picked it up last month.

Pat Sherman · May 7th, 2005, 10:16 AM

I'm using the BENQ lightscribe..It works great for me I just do text labels on them and take 2-3 mins to do that.. I did the fullquality grayscale pic and it took like 30 mins..lol! It was very detailed, but takes way to long..

http://www.maximumpc.com/reviews/opt...05-04-13b.html

Theo Mason · May 7th, 2005, 10:59 AM

Pat,
Have you tried LightScribe on DVD disks?
If so, what brand?

thanks,

Theo

Pat Sherman · May 7th, 2005, 11:02 AM

Verbatim DVD+R Lightscribe disks and no problems with playback..

I wish I could find some DVD-R.. IMHO I have better luck with DVD players in the -R than the +R

April 24th, 2005, 12:48 PM	#1
Deniz Turkmen Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: CA Posts: 166	LightScribe? What's the deal with LightScribe? Is anybody using it? I'm not happy with the quality of inkjet printing and have been considering picking up a Lacie dual layer burner w/ lightScribe.

April 24th, 2005, 04:47 PM	#2
Aanarav Sareen Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: NJ, US Posts: 183	From what I have seen LightScribe can only do mono prinitng and the quality is not better than any decent inkjet printer. __________________ http://www.sareen.tv

April 24th, 2005, 08:19 PM	#3
Pete Bauer Wrangler Join Date: May 2003 Location: Eagle River, AK Posts: 4,100	Just a personal opinion: I'm getting the impression that it isn't really ready for prime time, and have lost interest for now. The initial enthusiastic reports were that it was going to be ubiquitous, not more than pennies per disc more expensive than existing stock, and no mention was made as to the quality of the printing. What I'm currently observing is that LightScribe CD-Rs are several TIMES more expensive than regular CD-Rs and hard to find, DVD-Rs are either rare or nonexistent, it only does monochrome printing, there are concerns about sunlight or heat ruining your nice graphics (more so than regular home-written discs, apparently), and though drives with the technology exist (outside of HP's online store), they are not exactly filling up retail store shelves. Maybe if the technology survives to have a second or third generation, it'll be The Next Great Thing. I tend to lean towards being an "early adopter" but I'm not ready to bother with this technology quite yet; feels too much like half a solution. __________________ Pete Bauer The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science. Albert Einstein Trying to solve a DV mystery? You may find the answer behind the SEARCH function ... or be able to join a discussion already in progress!

April 25th, 2005, 10:10 AM	#5
Pete Bauer Wrangler Join Date: May 2003 Location: Eagle River, AK Posts: 4,100	I dunno, maybe this article is too old, but this DiscT@2 doesn't look like anything I'd buy: http://www.cdfreaks.com/article/88/4 CD-R only, uses the data surface, disc must be closed, visibility depends on the type of dye the disc uses. A long way from being a comprehensive, convenient DVD-labeling solution. For now, I'm just sticking with Sharpie markers.... __________________ Pete Bauer The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science. Albert Einstein Trying to solve a DV mystery? You may find the answer behind the SEARCH function ... or be able to join a discussion already in progress!

April 30th, 2005, 04:06 PM	#8
Mike Teutsch Inner Circle Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Port St. Lucie, Florida Posts: 2,614	I use Prodisc with my Epson R200. I paid $78.00 for the Epson brand new at B.J.s warehouse with ink, and Prodisc at 35 cents each. Never a problem. Your problem does not sound like it is the disc unless you are printing out side the white area. Good Luck! Mike __________________ Chapter one, line one. The BH.

April 25th, 2005, 08:33 AM	#4
Peter Jefferson Inner Circle Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Aus Posts: 3,884	go and get urself a Yamaha F1 burner for cd's and u can actually burn 300dpi onto the disc burn surface itself.. if u dont like teh quality of print, maybe its ur choice in media.. Rytek, or Ridata for DVD offer plastic smooth disc surface and is awesome. I use a canon i865 printer and i cannot fault the results when using high dpi images. for cd's i use printable verbatims which have a strange holographic edge... these are a glossy matte finish

April 25th, 2005, 11:37 AM	#6
Deniz Turkmen Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: CA Posts: 166	It's so much the quality of the image with inkjet DVD. I've been having a problem with smearing. Even after letting the disk dry for three days, some of the ink, especially black, will smear if I press down hard enough and rub with my finger. I've tried multiple brands, including Verbatim, Rydata, and Prodisc, but the ink smears on all of them. Epson keeps saying it's the media, not the printer, but there is only so much money I can spend on testing discs.

April 25th, 2005, 03:35 PM	#7
Dan Euritt Trustee Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Carlsbad CA Posts: 1,132	have you tried maxell or taiyo yuden dvd-r's? they work great on my epson printer.

April 30th, 2005, 04:16 PM	#9
Deniz Turkmen Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: CA Posts: 166	I don't think the problem is with the disc either. I think it's with the printer itself, although Epson doesn't want to admit it. It's putting too much ink on the DVD, and I can't set the quality to anything other than best photo. I talked to a friend who used the R200 and he said he can lower the quality on his PC. I'm using an Apple. Epson said there's nothing I can do about it.

April 30th, 2005, 05:54 PM	#10
Theo Mason New Boot Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Billings, Montana Posts: 10	I have been using a BenQ 1625 LightScribe burner for a few days now. The images are nice, although I am anticipating the new Photo Quality DVD blanks to be a better solution. The label burning time under "ideal" circumstances is 20 to 30 minutes. One plus is popping the DVD into the drive for LightScribe labeling is much quicker and easier than setting up my Epson 900 for a DVD print. Ted

April 30th, 2005, 09:27 PM	#11
Dan Euritt Trustee Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Carlsbad CA Posts: 1,132	my epson 900 printer had a clogged black inkjet head that was leaking ink and making a mess... i tore it down, took the head out of it, and swabbed the bottom of the head off with alcohol in a cotton ball... it's been working great, no more splatters of ink... i wonder if your situation is sorta similar? is the printer old?

May 1st, 2005, 12:13 AM	#12
Deniz Turkmen Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: CA Posts: 166	No, I picked it up last month.

May 7th, 2005, 10:16 AM	#13
Pat Sherman Major Player Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: DuPont, Wa Posts: 325	I'm using the BENQ lightscribe..It works great for me I just do text labels on them and take 2-3 mins to do that.. I did the fullquality grayscale pic and it took like 30 mins..lol! It was very detailed, but takes way to long.. http://www.maximumpc.com/reviews/opt...05-04-13b.html

May 7th, 2005, 10:59 AM	#14
Theo Mason New Boot Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Billings, Montana Posts: 10	Pat, Have you tried LightScribe on DVD disks? If so, what brand? thanks, Theo

May 7th, 2005, 11:02 AM	#15
Pat Sherman Major Player Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: DuPont, Wa Posts: 325	Verbatim DVD+R Lightscribe disks and no problems with playback.. I wish I could find some DVD-R.. IMHO I have better luck with DVD players in the -R than the +R